This year has been most interesting in terms of Marathi cinema. Compared to recent time,s all kinds of films, across all genres, got made. Plus, they worked at the box office. And a huge chunk of films did great business, collecting significant revenue, especially in the last quarter. Whether it’s the almost art-house Naal to the rare realistic action film like Mulshi Pattern and the biopic Ani... Dr Kashinath Ghanekar . Here are five films that particularly stood out.
Gulabjaam
Sachin Kundalkar's Gulabjaam is my most favourite Marathi film this year. It's wonderfully written, exquisitely performed and has impactful drama at its core.
A legitimate food film made in Marathi.
Naal
Sudhakar Reddy Yakanti’s Naal is an amazing film that’s not quite from the realm of popular cinema. It has also done tremendously well at the box office. The film has been very well written and shot. The dialogues too have been great, written by Nagraj Manjule himself who stars in and produces Naal .
Ani... Dr Kashinath Ghanekar
The biopic of the legendary Marathi actor is not just well made, with great performances, it’s also a lesson on how biopics should be made. The film is not a hagiography nor does it hero worship Ghanekar. It's a balanced account which also brings to fore the negative aspects of his personality.
Redu
Filmmaker Sagar Vanjari’s debut is about a man's deep relationship with his radio. The film may be small-budgeted but it has travelled across the world through the film festival circuit.
Mulshi Pattern
Based on true incidents, Pravin Vitthal Tarde’s feature is a realistic action thriller that Marathi cinema has never had before. Set in Pune, the fiilm is about IT Parks claiming the village land. What then happens to the youth of those villages? It is about the rise of crime and the awakening of the underworld.
As told to Namrata Joshi
